2016

HIGHLIGHTS

The eighth annual Boston Book Festival took place on October 14-15, 2016. Even before things got “officially” underway, we were thrilled to partner with Boston’s Literary District and other literary organizations to put on the first (annual!) Lit Crawl on the Thursday before the BBF, featuring readings, performances, and literary games hosted in unconventional spaces throughout Back Bay. We kicked off the official festivities Friday evening with a lively session featuring novelists Emma Donoghue, Maria Semple, and Tom Perrotta talking about making the leap to screenwriting and back to writing fiction, hosted by WBUR’s always-sparkling Robin Young.

BBF Saturday dawned clear and bright, a beautiful New England fall day. Close to 30,000 attendees flocked to Copley Square, packing close to twenty venues for more than seventy-five separate events. We were thrilled to be back in the newly-renovated Boston Public Library, whose impressive Shakespeare Unauthorized exhibit opened just in time for the BBF. We also were pleased to welcome Goethe-Institut Boston as a programming partner; they hosted two sessions at their beautiful space on Beacon Street.

Especially popular were the day’s keynote events: architect Frank Gehry in conversation with his biographer, Paul Goldberger; James Gleick talking time travel with WBUR’s Tom Ashbrook; Susan Faludi discussing her remarkable memoir with WBUR’s Christopher Lydon; and Pulitzer Prize winner Sebastian Smee discussing art history and criticism. Multiple award nominee and BBF fiction keynote Colson Whitehead, in conversation with Buzzfeed’s Saeed Jones, packed Emmanuel Church sanctuary. Kids’ keynote picture book writer and illustrator Jon Klassen and YA keynote Kami Garcia also drew young and enthusiastic crowds.

Elsewhere at the BBF, topical sessions on women’s issues and on injustice, as well as a lively discussion on the 2016 election, drew large crowds, as did a special event, The Book Revue, featuring authors like Faith Salie and Richard Russo in entertaining performances. We welcomed sessions developed by the Mystery Writers of America, Boston’s Literary District, Independent Publishers of New England, and Commonwealth eBook Collections, as well as three community-developed BBF Unbound sessions on topics ranging from romance fiction to food in fiction.

Outdoors, our 70+ exhibitor booths featured representatives from small presses, bookstores, literary nonprofits, films, retailers, and MFA programs, as well as BBF’s sponsors, including Presenting Partner WBUR. Tour guides from Boston By Foot led history buffs on walking tours through the literary history of the Back Bay, two talented poets offered free custom poems on the spot, and Berklee College of Music students kept things grooving with a series of performances on the outdoor stage.

In addition to The Book Revue, attendees could wrap up their BBF day with a beverage and some verse at the annual Poems & Pints poetry readings or with a sold-out performance of the podcast Lore (soon to be a series from Amazon Video). Lore’s spooky storytelling offered the perfect capstone to the BBF and a lead-in to the Halloween season. Thanks to everyone who joined us at BBF 2016–we’ll see you next year!

2016 AUDIO

Archival audio recordings are available for the following additional sessions from BBF 2016:

(Note: clicking the title of a session will play the audio file in a new window. To download the file to your hard drive, right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (Mac) and select “Download linked file” from the menu that appears.)

Architecture Keynote: Frank Gehry, Paul Goldberger, Host: Nicholas Negroponte
Art History Keynote: Sebastian Smee, Host: Sarah Lewis
Author Camp: LJ Cohen, Gledé Browne Kabongo, PJ Sharon, Host: Mitchell Davis
BBF Unbound: Behind One Writer’s Group Curtain: Nichole Bernier, Kathy Crowley, Juliette Fay, E. B. Moore, Host: Randy Susan Meyers
BBF Unbound: Eating Our Words: Jennifer S. Brown, Dawn Lerman, Louise Miller, Host: Lori Galvin
BBF Unbound: Not Your Grandma’s Romance: Judith Arnold, Caroline Linden, Myretta Robens, Cecilia Tan, Host: Laurie Kahn
Being Creative: Alexa Clay, Pagan Kennedy, Host: Zeninjor Enwemeka
Book Revue: Jennah Bell, Ann Hood, Ben Mezrich, Richard Russo, Faith Salie, Host: Henriette Lazaridis
Crime Fiction: Joseph Finder, Chris Holm, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Host: Amy MacKinnon
Extraordinary Lives: Daniel Bergner, Alex Prud’homme, Host: Erica Morrison
Fiction: Creative Lives: Lindsay Hatton, Dinitia Smith, Dawn Tripp, Host: Christina Thompson
Fiction Keynote: Colson Whitehead, Host: Saeed Jones
Fiction: My First Time: Louie Cronin, Louise Miller, Hirsh Sawhney, Host: Jabari Asim
Graphic Nonfiction: Hillary Chute, Sarah Glidden, Host: Alexander Danner
Having Presence and Being Present: Amy Cuddy, Sherry Turkle, Host: Robin Young
Industries of the Future: Beth Comstock, Joi Ito, Michael E. Porter, Alec Ross, Host: Andrew McAfee
Injustice, Incarceration, Invisibility: Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Elizabeth Hinton, Shaka Senghor, Mychael Denzel Smith, Host: Callie Crossley
Kids’ Keynote: Jon Klassen, Host: Elissa Gershowitz
Life Is Good + Not Impossible: Mick Ebeling, John Jacobs, Host: Erika Lantz
Memoir: Character Studies: Faith Salie, Jennifer Weiner, Host: Lisa Mullins
Memoir Keynote: Susan Faludi, Host: Christopher Lydon
Memoir: On the Margins: Howard Axelrod, William Gerald, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Jerald Walker, Host: Kelly Horan
Memoir: The Personal Is Political: Juliette Kayyem, Nina Willner, Host: Cathryn Clüver
Nonfiction Keynote: James Gleick, Host: Tom Ashbrook
Poetry: The Poem Is You: Stephen Burt, Host: Erica Funkhouser
Politics: McKay Coppins, Ellen Fitzpatrick, Alexander Keyssar, Joy-Ann Reid, Host: Anthony Brooks
Reading Like a Writer: Experimentation: Christopher Boucher, Alexandra Kleeman, Liz Moore, Host: Henriette Lazaridis
Sports in Context: S. L. Price, Onaje X. O. Woodbine, Host: Bill Littlefield
Start Making Sense: Philip K. Howard, James M. Stone, Host: Shelley H. Metzenbaum
Storytelling for Page and Screen: Emma Donoghue, Tom Perrotta, Maria Semple, Host: Robin Young
Story Time: Jabari Asim
Story Time: Aaron Becker
Story Time: Jef Czekaj
Story Time: Katrina Goldsaito
Story Time: Christian Robinson
Story Time: Deirdre Sullivan, Maja Löfdahl
Strange Creatures, Fantastic Voyages: Elise Broach, Kate Milford, Jennifer Weiner, Host: Lauren Rizzuto
Super Women: Luvvie Ajayi, Moira Weigel, Lindy West, Host: Meghna Chakrabarti
True Story: Eric Jay Dolin, Nathalia Holt, John Kaag, Daniel Korschun, Host: Lisa Pierpont
Turning Classics Inside Out: Alison Case, Kat Howard, Elizabeth Nunez, Host: Henriette Lazaridis
War and Its Aftermath: Deni Béchard, Michelle Hoover, Jonathan Rabb, Kathleen Spivack, Host: Catherine Parnell
Watchdog: Dick Lehr, Mitchell Zuckoff, Host: Alysia Abbott
The Way Things Work Now: David Macaulay, Host: Michael Hawley
YA: Give Me the Creeps: Margot Harrison, Dawn Kurtagich, Kim Savage, Host: Laura Koenig
YA: It’s Complicated: Melissa de la Cruz, Jennifer Niven, Rebecca Podos, Jordan Sonnenblick, Host: Ellie Moreton
YA Keynote: Kami Garcia, Host: Samantha Lane

Audio is not available for the following sessions:

The American Dream: Jagoda Marinić, Host: Shannon Dooling
The Art of Experience: Caroline A. Jones, Sarah Lewis, Clifford Ross, Rebecca Uchill, Host: Robert Wiesenberger
The Art of Perspective: Christopher Castellani
Boston: Le nez en l’air: Mathilde Piton, Host: Christianne Beasley
De Père a Père: Pierre Simenon, Host: Liliane Duséwoir
Fiction: Coming of Age: Caroline Leavitt, Robin Wasserman, Host: Sari Edelstein
France, Story of a Childhood: Zahia Rahmani, Host: Maria Koundoura
In My Brother’s Shadow: Uwe Timm, Host: Sabine von Mering
Life Without Envy: Camille DeAngelis
Lore: Aaron Mahnke
The Mind of an Author: Linda Barnes, William Landay, Gayle Lynds, William Martin, Paula Munier, Host: Ray Daniel
My Bad Bad Dog: Norah Dooley
One City One Story: Kelly Link, Host: Alicia Anstead
Page and Stage Spoken Word: Marlon Carey, Regie Gibson
Paper Doll Portraits: Ekua Holmes
Poems and Pints: Liam Day, Jeffrey Harrison, Jennifer Markell, Rose Styron, Host: Sara Siegel
The Power of Friendship: Ali Benjamin, Paul Griffin, Jo Knowles, Host: Cathryn Mercier
Reading Like a Writer: Character: Anne Korkeakivi, Margot Livesey, Justin Tussing, Host: Dawn Tripp
Reading Like a Writer: Social Commentary: Suzanne Berne, Meg Little Reilly, Anna Solomon, Host: Michelle Hoover
Readings: New Takes on Fantasy: Keith Donohue, Ken Liu, Katie Schickel, Host: Boyah J. Farah
Sound Advice: Aaron Mahnke
Writer Idol: Sorche Fairbank, Katherine Flynn, Amaryah Orenstein, Host: Christopher Castellani
Writing with Risk: Kirun Kapur
“X” Marks the Adventure: Leventhal Map Center
Your Book as a Business: Charlotte Pierce, Deidre C. Randall, Eddie Vincent, Host: Karen Einstein

2016 VIDEO

The following sessions were videorecorded by C-SPAN2 for broadcast on BookTV.

Clicking the title of the session will take you to BookTV’s website, where you can watch the videos online.

Graphic Nonfiction: Hillary Chute, Sarah Glidden, Host: Alexander Danner
Industries of the Future: Beth Comstock, Joi Ito, Michael E. Porter, Alec Ross, Host: Andrew McAfee
Nonfiction Keynote: James Gleick, Tom Ashbrook

2016 PRESENTERS

Alysia Abbott
Allison Adair
Luvvie Ajayi
Alicia Anstead
Judith Arnold
Tom Ashbrook
Jabari Asim
Howard Axelrod
Linda Barnes
Christianne Beasley
Deni Ellis Béchard
Aaron Becker
Jennah Bell
Ali Benjamin
Daniel Bergner
Suzanne Berne
Nichole Bernier
Christopher Boucher
Elise Broach
Anthony Brooks
Jennifer S. Brown
Stephen Burt
Marlon Carey
Alison Case
Christopher Castellani
Meghna Chakrabarti
Hillary Chute
Alexa Clay
Cathryn Clüver
LJ Cohen
Beth Comstock
McKay Coppins
Louie Cronin
Callie Crossley
Kathy Crowley
Amy Cuddy
Jef Czekaj
Ray Daniel
Alexander Danner
Mitchell Davis
Liam Day
Camille DeAngelis
Melissa de la Cruz
Howard dePass Jr.
Eric Jay Dolin
Emma Donoghue
Keith Donohue
Norah Dooley
Shannon Dooling
Mick Ebeling
Sari Edelstein
Karen Einstein
Zeninjor Enwemeka
Sort Fairbank
Susan Faludi
Boyah J. Farah
Juliette Fay
Joseph Finder
Ellien Fitzpatrick
Katherine Flynn
Erica Funkhouser
Lori Galvin
Kami Garcia
Frank Gehry
Elissa Gershowitz
Regie Gibson
William Giraldi
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
James Gleick
Sarah Glidden
Paul Goldberger
Katrina Goldsaito
Paul Griffin
Jeffrey Harrison
Margot Harrison
Lindsay Hatton
Elizabeth Hinton
Chris Holm
Ekua Holmes
Nathalia Holt
Ann Hood
Michelle Hoover
Kelly Horan
Kat Howard
Philip K. Howard
Joi Ito
John Jacobs
Caroline A. Jones
Saeed Jones
John Kaag
Gledé Browne Kabongo
Laurie Kahn
Kirun Kapur
Juliette Kayyem
Pagan Kennedy
Alexander Keyssar
Jon Klassen
Alexandra Kleeman
Jo Knowles
Laura Koenig
Anne Korkeakivi
Daniel Korschun
Maria Koundoura
Dawn Kurtagich
William Landay
Samantha Lane
Erika Lantz
Henriette Lazaridis
Caroline Leavit
Dick Lehr
Dawn Lerman
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center
Sarah Lewis
Caroline Linden
Kelly Link
Bill Littlefield
Ken Liu
Margot Livesey
Maja Löfdahl
Christopher Lydon
Gayle Lynds
David Macaulay
Amy MacKinnon
Aaron Mahnke
Jagoda Marinić
Jennifer Markell
William Martin
Andrew McAfee
Cathryn Mercier
Shelley H. Metzenbaum
Randy Susan Meyers
Ben Mezrich
Kate Milford
Louise Miller
E. B. Moore
Liz Moore
Ellie Moreton
Erica Morrison
Lisa Mullins
Paula Munier
Nicholas Negroponte
Jennifer Niven
Elizabeth Nunez
Amaryah Orenstein
Catherine Parnell
Tom Perrotta
Charlotte Pierce
Lisa Pierpont
Mathilde Piton
Rebecca Podos
Michael E. Porter
S. L. Price
Alex Prud’homme
Jonathan Rabb
Zahia Rahmani
Deidre C. Randall
Joy-Ann Reid
Meg Little Reilly
Lauren Rizzuto
Myretta Robens
Christian Robinson
Alec Ross
Clifford Ross
Richard Russo
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Faith Salie
Kim Savage
Hirsh Sawhney
Katie Schickel
Maria Semple
Shaka Senghor
PJ Sharon
Sara Siegel
Pierre Simenon
Sebastian Smee
Dinitia Smith
Mychael Denzel Smith
Anna Solomon
Jordan Sonnenblick
Kathleen Spivack
James M. Stone
Rose Styron
Deirdre Sullivan
Cecilia Tan
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Christina Thompson
Uwe Timm
Zeynep Ton
Dawn Tripp
Sherry Turkle
Justin Tussing
Rebecca Uchill
Eddie Vincent
Sabine von Mering
Jerald Walker
Moira Weigel
Jennifer Weiner
Lindy West
Colson Whitehead
Robert Wiesenberger
Nina Willner
Onaje X. O. Woodbine
Robin Young
Mitchell Zuckoff

2016 SLIDE SHOW

Photos by Edward Boches, Pang Boches, Meaghan Collins, Vanessa de Beaumont, Dennis Geller, Olivia Nadel, John Werner, and Alexandra Wimley.

Music: “Time Machine Invention” by Cloud Cult from The Seeker. Copyright (c) 2016 by Cloud Cult / Earthology.
www.CloudCult.com